Yahoo News Will Young on importance of his music for LGBTQ+ representation
Will Young has discussed representing the LGBTQ+ community with his music.
Promoting his eighth studio album Crying on the Bathroom Floor, which is exclusively made up of cover tracks, the 42-year-old Pop Idol sensation got chatting to The Independent about the altered state of the industry.
"I've never written a song with a man's name in it before, so it was nice to sing 'Daniel' [originally by Bat for Lashes].
Related: Will Young describes leaving Strictly Come Dancing in 2016 as "the best thing" he ever did
"But I think even five years ago, people would have been like, 'Ooh, he's singing about wearing a dress,'" Young added. "But I do wear dresses – or skirts, actually.
"So I could very well be in that position, crying in a dress on the bathroom floor."
Further along, the queer singer-songwriter recalled an incident involving his record company 12 years ago – the catalyst being him dancing with a male mannequin in a music video.
"They had a major problem with it," he admitted.
Related: Will Young opens up about living with his anxiety since leaving Strictly Come Dancing
Back in 2016, when Young competed in Strictly Come Dancing, there was never a conversation behind the scenes about him partnering up with a male pro.
"So yeah, times have changed a lot. It's brilliant that so many kids now are growing up feeling so much more empowered and can make their own choices," he noted.
"Things like the England football captain [Harry Kane] wearing a rainbow armband are so powerful."
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